


I want to know you in the real way

by j_essyeap



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_essyeap/pseuds/j_essyeap
Summary: Bad weather and really mysterious girlfriends are not good for a girl's mental health
Relationships: Mystery Girl/Pearl (Steven Universe)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It seems that I can't help putting those two around a couch so they can have some kind of real talk about shit and whatever

The door bell rang and Sheena hurried to allow Pearl into her building. Since she knew Pearl didn’t own a car and was probably drenched already, no reason to leave her waiting in that pouring rain. The lights flicked after a powerful thunder and Sheena jumped when Pearl knocked on the door. Not a single drop on the other woman skin, huh, she thought, ok, this has to end tonight. 

Today would have been their sixth date if Pearl hadn’t suggested they’d postpone their visit to funland because of the bad weather she knew would come. _“But there’s not a single cloud in the sky and nothing about it on the news.”_ Sheena had said at the time, skeptical. Yet another reason why this needed to end tonight, how could she predict the weather better than even the meteorology department of the state? 

Pearl was here right now, because after their call Sheena had found herself pretty upset they wouldn’t see each other yet another week, what with the end of her college semester approaching and Pearl’s mysterious unavailability at random hours, it had been almost a month since they last saw each other in person. The feeling had got her surprise about how much she cared about the gem. Not that it didn’t made sense, since they had been seeing each other for about four months, even if sparsely, due to timetable troubles. _Wow, had it really been this long? And I really like her, how can that be? I don’t know shit about her._

And so, Sheena had called Pearl back and asked if she couldn’t make an effort and visit her, you know, since she’s a superhero and all, because they needed to have a real talk about their relationship. She had agreed immediatly. _Girl, that gem really likes a good DTR._

“Hello.” Pearl greeted. She seemed nervous, Sheena will give her that. “Are you feeling alright?” She gave her a shy kiss on the cheeks, Pearl was never too forward when it came to touching her, but Sheena could feel she was a little more on the edge about it because of the situation. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m alright, we’re alright. “She tried to lighten the mood by giving her a warm hug. “I’m sorry I scared you at the phone, babe. It’s just...” Sheena lost her words. Actually, she hadn’t thought about how she would say what she needed to say to Pearl, once she got here. She had panicked, not really thought this through. “Oh, man, I don’t know.” She sighed. “Come, sit with me.” 

Sheena thought about offering Pearl something to drink in order to get some time to think, but remembered Pearl didn’t really drink at all, and gave up the idea, preferring to just roll herself a cigarette she wasn’t really supposed to smoke inside just to have something to do with her hands. “Sheena? What is it that is bothering you?” 

Sheena took a deep breath. “Look, Pearl... I really like you. I really do. And that’s the thing. We’ve been going out for months now, I hadn’t seen anyone else for most of this time, not because I feel that I can’t, we never even had _that_ talk.” She said realizing this while she was saying. “Anyways, that’s not the point. The point is that I like you,... a lot, and I freaked out because, sincerely, I barely know you. ” She was talking with her hands a lot, as she usually would when she was nervous. “I just know that you are called a gem, and that’s mostly because Steven is always talking about it. And I know you’re some kind of... alien. But that’s about it. I don’t know what you being a gem means, I don’t know where you came from, or what you’re doing here, who are the other gems with you, besides Steven, and what their story are. I don’t even know your story, actually! I don’t even know your age, for godsake.” She was speaking loudly, but it was more exasperation than anger. She took some time to catch her breath while the gem in front of her stammered in surprise and let out a huge sigh with her eyes closed focusing on the sound of the rain to ground herself. “I can’t do this anymore. Not like this. I need to know more about you if I’m gonna allow myself to get further attached.” _Wow, she really was just spilling it all out, wasn’t she?_

“Uhm... Would you... would you like some tea? I think we’ll need some tea. Even I’m going to need some, if we’re going to have this conversation right now.” Pearl said, a little on edge, but she seemed to be recovering from the first shock and stood up, taking the liberty of going to the kitchen to pour water into a kettle and heat it for the tea. 

Sheena chuckled. “I don’t have any tea, Pearl. I’m not a tea-drinking kinda person. But my roommate has juice in the fridge. It’s too late for coffee. Feel free to grab the whole thing and bring it here, I’m sure she won’t mind.” Since it had been three days she hadn’t come home from her boyfriend’s, sheena thought, opening the window and lighting her cigarette. At least the wind was coming from the other side, so she could smoke without getting wet. 

“Ok.” Pearl came back and sat where Sheena was before, so she could face her, looking at her with a tense yet focused expression in her face. Sheena could tell she wasn’t a hundred percent ok with talking about her life. “So you wanna know my story...” Sheena startled as another huge thunder reverberated outside. 

_Wow, awesome thriller effect,_ Sheena thought. _Wait... Oh, God, can Pearl control thunders, now?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl tells Sheena a little bit about her story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, guys, hope you're all alright.  
> Since I got a few comments asking me to continue this story, I decided to give it a try today and it seems it wasn't finished yet. I hope you like it.

“So, the... gem in your forehead is an actual pearl, which is the core of your being... And your body, which, as previously established multiple times, I can feel with my hands and well, my mouth, is made of light turned into matter.” Sheena tried to put into her own words what Pearl had just told her in an extensive monologue about herself and the other gems. “On top of that, you’re 8 thousand years old?” She asked, with astonishment in her tone, a very comprehensive looking Pearl, that was now lying across her couch with her head on Sheena’s lap.

“Yes, that’s the best way to translate it to Earth’s physics. Since we’re living in Earth for a few thousands of years now, we... as in me and the other gems, had to come with some explanation that would make sense for the few humans we became acquainted with, so that’s more or less how we are explaining our nature to them, and now, to you.” Pearl said, very matter-of-factly.

Sheena touched Pearl’s hair hesitantly. It was turning out to be hard for her to take in everything Pearl told her. ’This hair is made of light, as is the head of which the weight I can feel in my thigh right now’. Her mind was already spinning and Pearl hadn’t even gotten to the part where she explained what she was doing on Earth yet. She looked to the gem embedded in Pearl’s forehead, her fingers twitched to touch it, but now that she knew what it really was, she was even more uncertain if her curiosity would be well received. She closed her hand tight, knuckles whitening at the gesture. “Ok, I’mma need some time to adjust to that, but keep going.” She told, with a tentatively smile. “So, what brought you to Earth, anyway?”

Pearl looked deeply into her eyes, she seemed to have noticed Sheena’s nerves because she looked at her with kind eyes and took the hand Sheena was using to touch her just a few seconds ago, loosening her hold and intertwining their fingers in a loving gesture. “Are you sure you want me to continue? We can take things slow, I wish I could say it doesn’t, but it does get worse before it gets better.”

“No,” Sheena said “I want to know. Please, keep going.” She pressed Pearl’s hand with her own, at the same time trying to reassure the gem and ground herself. ‘C’mon, Sheena, get it together.’

“Ok, so, to tell you the reason I came to Earth, I’ll have to go way back and tell you a little about the place I came from,” Pearl said, rather dramatically, and Sheena chuckled. It seemed Pearl was getting more relaxed about having this conversation. In the beginning, she had been tense with the prospect. Sheena suspected she was a good story-teller and enjoyed telling stories so much it made it easier for her to open up. “That is a planet called Homeworld, which was ruled by a class of high gems called The Diamonds, as in, instead of a pearl, their gems were diamonds. And you see, that was the reason they were our rulers. Because in Homeworld, the gem you are made of, defines the role you’ll have in its society.” She paused as if she knew Sheena already had a question.

“Uhm, ok, that’s... problematic in the least, like, the place you came from sets people apart based on their gems, like some sort of caste system??????” She had goosebumps all over her body, she was getting some _“Brave New World”_ vibes, and even thinking about that book made her stomach twist.

“Yes, yes, I think a caste system would be the Earth equivalent of what happened on Homeworld.” She said, thoughtful.

“Ok... and,” Sheena braced herself to ask her next question. “What is the role of a gem born with a pearl?”

Pearl stirred a bit, trying to get more comfortable on the couch. “Yeah, so... Pearls are a class of gem that serves the porpoise of serving another gem.” Pearl paused, noticing Sheena’s body stiffening as she said the words, but decided to continue, better let her react after she finished this particular part of the story. “Pearls, I don’t know if you’re aware, are not actual gems, we are made of organic matter, which makes us a rather rare thing on Homeworld. So, you see, a Pearl, besides being a servant, was also a symbol of status. Only the most important gems would get their own Pearl, and the ones who had one would use them to daily tasks, such as organizing physical spaces, or timetables, holding things, reminding about appointments, entertaining, and so on.” She paused then, waiting for Sheena’s outburst she knew would come.

Sheena’s whole body was kind of trembling, she was furious, she could feel her face turning red with what Pearl had just told her. In the middle of all her thoughts and feelings, she found herself taking a deep breath, reminding herself that this was the past. Pearl was not there anymore, she wasn’t anyone’s servant anymore, she was here with her, on Earth, free. “I...” She stumbled over her words, feeling Pearl’s hand once again tightening around her. “So, that’s why you ran away?”

“No, I didn’t run away, I was sent here.” Sheena’s expression became confused. “Remember when I told you I had saved your planet and you should be thankful?” Sheena nodded, chuckling at the reminder of that day. It seemed so long ago, with everything that had happened in her life since that garage show. “So, Homeworld was a conquering empire, the Diamonds’ purpose, besides ruling, was to expand the empire by conquering other planets and using its resources to maintain the empire, and produce more gems to conquer more planets and so on. The exception to this was Pink Diamond, the only Diamond out of the four that didn’t have colonies yet. Earth would be her first colony, and I, “Pearl paused, for thriller effect, although, Sheena noticed, no thunder accompanied her this time. “was Pink Diamond’s Pearl.”

Sheena was now sure Pearl was a good story-teller. She didn’t say a word, not wanting to interrupt the gem.

“And as such, when arrangements were made to set Earth as her first colony, I followed her.” Sheena noticed Pearl becoming anxious at this part of the story and felt herself becoming more so, anticipating it. “The thing is, Pink Diamond was nothing like the other Diamonds, she was sweet and compassionate and when she came to Earth, she fell in love with the planet. She didn’t want it to be destroyed like so many other planets were when they became a Homeworld’s colony.” Pearl had a rather dreamy smile as she spoke, but yet, Sheena could sense the gem’s uneasiness. “She tried to stop it, the colonizing process, but the other Diamonds wouldn’t listen to her, so we rebelled against Homeworld. She took the form of a common soldier, we taught ourselves how to fight and started jeopardizing Homeworld’s attempts to advance the colonizing process. Soon, other gems around Earth started to join the cause, for different reasons, Homeworld’s dictatorship was such an oppressing system. But in the end,” Pearl was distressed right now, her voice was sad. “We couldn’t win.”

“Babe, do you need some time?” Sheena asked worriedly. She didn’t want the gem to relive all those horrible things simply because she was curious. She felt sorry about Pearl and this Pink Diamond gem. If she had known Pearl’s story was so horrible, she wouldn’t have approached it as she had. “You don’t need to tell me everything at once.”

Pearl took a calming breath, even though she didn’t need to breathe at all. “I’m ok. It’s just, we’re getting to a sensible part of the story, a part where until very recently, I couldn’t get myself to talk about at all. But I want to go just a little further and then we can stop for the day, ok?” She waited for Sheena to agree, which the human did, with a nod and another squeeze in her hand. “In the end, we couldn’t stop the colonizing process, so Pink Diamond took a rather extreme path. She faked her death, in the hopes that the diamonds would then abandon the planet since there was no longer a Diamond to colonize it.” Pearl had a sad face once again. “In a sense, it worked, Earth survived, but the other diamonds were so furious with the rebellion, they obliterated all gems on Earth before retreating. We lost many friends that day. Pink, or Rose Quartz, as she preferred being called after that, could only save a handful of us.” Silence fell, and Sheena could feel the weight of the loss on Pearl's body. She felt sorry for the gem. Pearl noticed Sheena’s expression and chuckled. “It’s ok now, spoiler alert, we were able to reverse the damage, very recently. But let’s leave it for another day, shall we? I think you already have a lot to take in for now.”

Sheena promptly agreed. She knew the story wasn’t nearly over, for instance, she was pretty sure this Rose Quartz gem wasn’t around anymore, since she had never met her, nor heard anyone refer to her. But yeah, for the time being, she knew a lot, and now, felt that the gem using her lap as a pillow wasn’t as much of a stranger to her anymore, which was good, because, as previously established, her feelings for Pearl were only getting deeper.

Sheena thought about how amazing Pearl was, and with the new information she now had, she was even more mesmerized by the gem. She had been made to be a servant, Sheena thought, yet the gem that she was becoming fond had no telltale about it. Sure, she was very organized, and a little tense around the edges, Sheena understood now from where it came from. But Pearl was such an independent person..., damn, gem. And she looked so free, going anywhere she wanted, getting shit done, being a mother to Steven, along with the other gems.

She found Pearl’s eyes, only to notice the gem was studying her, with a worried face, and she was reminded that she had yet to say something. But what on Earth could she say? She was lost for words. Instead, she looked back in the gem’s eyes and felt a squeezing feeling in her heart. She was pretty sure she was making moon eyes to Pearl right now. Pearl chuckled, apparently reading Sheena’s mind, and being able to tell her silence wasn’t a bad thing. Sheena’s eyes traveled to her forehead and a knowing smile crossed Pearl’s face.

“You can touch it if you want.” Her face was solemn. Sheena knew, even though Pearl had permitted it rather unceremoniously, it was a big thing for her. But the moment felt sacred enough, and Sheena had been curious about the embedded gem since they met, so she decided to go for it.

First taking her hand to Pearl’s hair, touching it affectionately, she took one last-minute searching for any doubt in the gem’s eyes, before closing her own and feeling the gem for the first time. It vibrated slightly beneath her fingers, like if it was full of energy and she felt, for yet another time this night, overwhelmed by emotions. She kept her touch light and her eyes closed and when she opened, she found Pearl’s eyes on her, her expression serious. Sheena felt her body moving down before even deciding to do so, and with yet another check on Pearl to see if it was ok, she touched her lips on her gem, giving it a soft kiss and smiling. “Thanks for telling me.” Her voice was no louder than a whisper, and Pearl smiled fondly before bringing her mouth to Sheena’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, since I only covered the rebellion in this chapter, I still haven't decided where this story is set. Meaning, if it's before or after the movie. I simply know that it's before SUF because there was a big gap between the two series and I might want to work on that later.  
> I'd love to know your thoughts about this chapter.  
> Take care.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like it lemme know  
> Sorry about the rough ending, guys. The story goes where it wants to go and it seems this particular piece wanted to end like this, I couldn't help myself. I also thought that Pearl explaining everything to Sheena would be a very anti-climatic ending for this short story. Plus, I couldn't make up my mind about at what point this story would be happening. Before the wedding, or after season 5, or after the movie, or in the Future?  
> So yeah, maybe I'll come back here in near future, since I don't have much to do in this godforsaken quarentine, but for the moment, hope you enjoy Sheena's little speech.  
> And remember guys, you have to sneeze into your antecubical fossa! Keep safe and stay home.


End file.
